“I think Sakara’s going to bring it,” Cote told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “You know, 90 percent of his fights in the UFC he won or he lost in the first round. I’m expecting a war right away.”

While Cote’s math is a little off (nine of Sakara’s 13 UFC fights – 69 percent – have ended in the first round), his expectations are probably on target. When the middleweights meet at Montreal’s Bell Centre prior to the pay-per-view main card, he knows both of them are going to be in a hurry to prove who’s the better striker.

“Sakara is a really good boxer,” he said. “He’s fast with good combinations. And he’s lost his last two fights, so he’s going to come here really hungry. So he’s going to want to win this fight, but me too.

“He’s a BJJ black belt. He’s from a good team, from American Top Team. I’m sure he’s well-rounded, but his instinct, he’s a boxer. He’s a former pro boxer like me, and for sure like me, and he’ll want to prove who the better boxer is in this fight. I’m prepared to go the ground too. I did a lot of wrestling (practice) to stay on my feet, but if it goes to the ground, I’m going to put him on his back and pound him out.”

Cote is 4-4 in his past eight fights, though all the losses came in the UFC. Most recently, he took a short-notice opportunity against recent UFC on FUEL TV 6 main-event winner Cung Le, and Cote suffered a unanimous-decision loss. It followed a four-fight win streak on the regional circuit.

This time, though, Cote is confident he’ll get in the win column, which would be his first time under the UFC banner since a split-decision victory over Ricardo Almeida at UFC 86 in 2008.

“I had a fully raining camp (for Sakara),” Cote said. “That’s a big difference than the Cung Le fight. I only had four weeks to prepare for Cung Le. This time I had a full 10 weeks of training this time, so I’m ready to go.”

In addition to Le, Cote’s other recent losses have come to Tom Lawlor, Alan Belcher and middleweight champion Anderson Silva. But he he’s had past success in the organization, and he points specifically to an early-2008 fight with Drew McFedries, who was dominating his competition at the time.

“I always said I’m not scared of anyone on the feet at 185 pounds,” Cote said. “Like you said, in the past, I faced very strong strikers. Drew McFedries at the time was probably the most powerful guy at 185 pounds. I took everything he had and knocked him out.

“I was also staying on my feet against Anderson Silva. I took everything he gave me, and I tried to give it back. It was a little bit harder with Anderson Silva, but like I said, I will always stay on my feet in front of anyone at my weight class.”

Cote’s upcoming fight marks a pretty significant for the 32-year-old Canadian. And he’s glad he can mark the anniversary at home, though the location means little come actual fight time.”

“This year this is my 10th year of pro fighting,” he said. “In November 2002, I did my first pro MMA fight. I have a lot of experience now. It’s always fun to fight in front of our fans and family and friends. But when the doors close to the cage, it’s the same thing whether you fight in Vegas or Brazil or Chicago or Montreal.”

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

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